8.18.2011

Introducing its pinnacle range of footwear and apparel set to dominate the wardrobes of our style-conscious athletes and sports enthusiasts, Nike Philippines officially launched its Nike Sportswear (NSW) Fall and Holiday 2011 collections that embody the modernized classic pieces, yet staying true to its athletic tradition.

“Nike Sportswear has always been known for its statement making pieces that fit various active lifestyles. In these new collections, we zero in to the spectrum of styles and preferences by creating footwear and apparel pieces that speak about the character of an athlete on and off the field,” said Nike Philippines Country Marketing Manager Mae Dichupa.

This season, step out in style with our NSW classic favorites refreshed with a modern twist - the AW77 Hoody and the Air Max 90. Remixing old and new styles, athletes and sports enthusiasts will be delighted to find cotton staples sit alongside cutting-edge fabric mixes for unrivalled comfort and style statement. Pushing the creativity to the peak, our in-house designers have kept the silhouettes clean with unwavering attention-to-detail to place each piece in the easy-to-wear yet statement-making category.

Athletes can also expect the usual surprises of concealed storage, unexpected material blends and unrivalled fit to ensure they’re always on the forefront of style without sacrificing comfort.

AW77 Hybrid HoodyA classic hoody remixed, the AW77 Hybrid Hoody is reintroduced this Fall with technology innovations featuring waterproof Vislon zippers, bonded seams and tape back construction for a better fit. Listening to the voices of our athletes, the modifications have set the bar of their style requirements and the practicality of wear, topping the charts as the off-field choice for the season.

The AW77 Hybrid Hoody can be traced to its debut in 1977, and is today remixed in bright colors and premium details. Made from 100% cotton terry fleece fabric, the hoody provides a soft athletic fit and the full front zip affords customized ventilation to adjust to the swings in weather in our unpredictable tropical climate. New features including bonded seams afford a more comfortable wear, embroidered eyelets under the arms for enhanced ventilation, a Vislon zip pocket above the left kangaroo pocket to protect and secure small items and a scuba hood with a bungee draw-cord in a contrast color for a customized fit creating the twist on the classic hoody.

Air Max 90 Fuse 2.0One of Nike’s most innovative icons, the Air Max 90, has been given a new lease of life in the 21st century, embodied in the Air Max 90 Fuse 2.0. What began as a traditional process of hand-sewn running shoes has evolved into a machine precision, heat pressurized system that utilizes advanced modern materials that is the Hyperfuse, created for an enhanced breathable, and lightweight shoe.

Hyperfuse creates a durable composite material composed of three layers; one for stability, one for breathability and the third for durability. All three layers are fused together using heat and pressure to create a level of precision unattainable via traditional cut-and-sew methods. The uni-body design results in lightweight, breathable footwear and minimizes seams that can wear on an athlete’s foot. This new sport aesthetic is merged with iconic silhouettes from Nike’s past in the Air Max 90 Fuse 2.0. It turns out Hyperfuse also had some unintended results when designers found they could push the limits of both color and finishes with the new technology.

SRP: Air Max 90 Fuse - P5,495

The NSW Fall 2011 Collection is now available at Nike stores nationwide. Visit www.nike.com.ph for more retail information.

They belong to your neighborhood, club, school or office barkada. They rank among your top profile viewers, and are just one mouse-click away from a group chat. Social media has added a new dimension to friendship, introducing a host of fun activities and sites for friends to let loose. But whether you hang out in a network or community board, there are some status updates that are best made in person.

Encouraging more face-to-face time among friends, Greenwich makes an irresistible offer to barkadas to show that virtual meals can never compare with the real deal.

Send a PM to the barkada and check-in at the nearest Greenwich Pizza branch for a fun and filling kwentuhan! Amid constantly rising prices of products today, Greenwich bucks the trend by bringing down the prices of its pizza and pasta best-sellers at presyong kaibigan showing that Greenwich values friendship and barkada bonding. By making these treats more barkada budget-friendly, Greenwich lets friends enjoy extended bonding sessions with delicious pizzas and pastas to share.

When was the last time you enjoyed old-school barkada kwentuhan? Spending offline time together promotes stronger connections and warmth among friends that no emoticon can ever express. And because nothing beats the sound of friends’ laughter while sharing the latest jokes or a real hug when you need it, Greenwich makes it easier and more enjoyable to catch up with friends the classic way.

Exchange your status update for a lunch date (even merienda or a dinner date) at Greenwich and share barkada pizza favorites that are now lighter on the pocket. Choose among the Classic Hawaiian or Ham & Cheese Pizzas at P149 for 9” double size and P249 for 12” barkada size, or the generously topped Ultimate Hawaiian or Triple Ham and Cheese Overload at P199 for double size and P299 for barkada size, or the filling All Meat & Cheese or Greenwich Special Overload Pizzas starting at P229.

Greenwich’s delicious range of pasta dishes have also been made more barkada-friendly. Get the snack size of the flavorful Lasagna Supreme for only P79 or the full size for P99. Also, the perfect combination of Chicken Carbonara & Premium Beef Strips or Lasagna Supreme & Jumbo Crunchy Chicken in the Pasta Supreme Meat Plates, are now at only P149.

Celebrate the value of friendship and take barkada bonding moments from virtual meets to real treats at Greenwich. Join the Greenwich barkada at http://www.facebook.com/GreenwichPizza or follow @greenwichpizza on Twitter for more presyong kaibigan deals.

If given the chance to get a taste of your favorite food—especially one that reminds you of your roots, wouldn’t you go and try it as often as you could? This longing for his favorite Chickenjoy and Jollibee Spaghetti, among others in the menu, prompted a young Filipino living overseas to experience everyday delicious food at Jollibee when it opened its first store in Hawaii last December.

Jollibee’s branch in Waipahu is its 26th outlet in the US. When it first opened its doors to customers, it expectedly attracted a large number of Filipino-Americans and their friends. Everyone wanted a taste of the distinctly Pinoy and langhap-sarap treats that they either grew up with or heard about from friends and relatives.

For 25-year old Gabe Torno, a Filipino born and raised in Hawaii, a visit to Jollibee soon meant so much more than just getting his snack fix. It also enabled him to discover his Filipino roots.

Torno is the author behind Diary of a Jollibee Kid (http://www.jollibeekid.com), a blog that chronicles his 100 consecutive days – and succeeding weekly visits – to Jollibee Waipahu.

“I first encountered Jollibee when I visited the Philippines along with my sisters in 2000. I remember the meaty spaghetti and the crispy and juicy chicken that made me want to go back to the Philippines one day. There was something about the food, the people, and atmosphere of Jollibee that made it special,” he shares.

Like most Hawaii-born Filipino-Americans, Gabe’s immersion in Filipino culture was limited to his experiences at home. And it was only in college at the University of Hawaii-Manoa that Gabe began learning about his heritage in earnest, taking Tagalog classes and becoming involved in the activities of the Fil-Am community. But even with his increased immersion into the Filipino culture of Hawaii, he could not forget his initial Jollibee experience during his first visit to his home country and its growing importance in Philippine pop culture. “When I went back in 2009, the first thing that I wanted to do was go to Jollibee and taste the food once again,” says Gabe.

Diary of a Jollibee Kid was meant to be an online chronicle of his attempt to set a personal record of consecutive store visits. Gabe had initially planned daily visits for the store’s first year, but abbreviated it to 100 consecutive daily visits, and weekly store visits henceforth. Each post documents food orders and service quality, and often segues into discussions of his extracurricular activities in school and the community.

Gabe’s love for Jollibee is not limited to its food, though he counts Jollibee Spaghetti, Chickenjoy, the Breakfast Joys meals, and halo-halo (offered in US stores) among his favorites. For Gabe, Jollibee is a place where he can sit back and relax in between hectic activities, a sort of home base where he can experience the everyday delicious food he has quickly grown to love. And herein lies Jollibee’s charm. “Although I haven't visited any of the Jollibees in the mainland USA or any place other than Philippines, I know that each Jollibee brings the taste of home everywhere it is located,” he says.

And that “taste of home” – not just the affordable and great-tasting food but the warm and friendly ambience of every Jollibee store – is what makes Pinoys anywhere in the world keep coming back for more of the familiar and well-loved langhap sarap goodness of Jollibee.

8.15.2011

Green Tea is one of the most popular drinks that has figured into the daily diets of health buffs, and for good reason. It is also classified as a functional food that offers essential nutrients that help prevent diseases and improve one’s well-being. Giving Pinoys a delicious taste into healthy living is Universal Robina Corporation’s (URC) C2 Green Tea, the country’s favorite cool and clean drink that combines the nourishing goodness of green tea with a refreshing and irresistible taste.

The potency of green tea goes beyond its fresh and natural ingredients. According to Dr. Liza Francisco, a nutrition support specialist from the Weight Management Center and Nutrition Support Team of St. Luke’s Medical Center and Asian Hospital, its secret lies in its rich antioxidant content. “Antioxidants dampen the effects of free radicals that we get when we are exposed to the environment, pollution, and unhealthy diets. To fight ‘oxidative stress’, one has to enhance antioxidant stores in the body by getting it from the diet. Green tea contains high levels of antioxidants that counteract free radicals so it’s a great beverage of choice,” she explains.

According to her, among all the other tea drinks in the market, green tea undergoes the least amount of processing allowing it to retain the largest amounts of antioxidants at 50 to 150grams per serving. Among the antioxidants present in green tea are catechins such as Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that are known to combat free radicals and offer many health benefits, from helping slow down aging, improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels, to helping prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes among others. Green tea also has thermogenic properties that help enhance the body’s metabolism to aid in weight loss. Dr. Francisco also recommends green tea beverages to patients who wish to stay healthy and in shape, an example of which is C2 Green Tea. “I recommend green tea to those who are looking for a beverage that tastes good yet has antioxidants and is not high in calories. Green tea is a healthier alternative to taking soda or sweetened fruit juices. When I help my patients lose weight, aside from diet, exercise, and medications, I recommend green tea,” she shares.

Gentle to the heart and body, C2 Green Tea is made from 100% natural green tea leaves of Camellia sinensis and is brewed and bottled on the same day to lock in the health-giving goodness of antioxidants. With its invigorating and delicate flavors like Classic, Apple, Lemon, Orange, Peach, Strawberry, and Forest Fruits, C2 offers the perfect way to detoxify and live a truly healthy lifestyle that fun-loving and health-conscious Pinoys can share – the cool and clean way. C2 Green Tea is available in all leading supermarkets, groceries and sari-sari stores nationwide.

8.03.2011

Weight loss isn’t just about inches and pounds. It can mean eligibility to donate blood, ability to have a baby, or staying on the road to recovery. It can mean being an inspiration and even a teacher to others, improved relationships due to a new-found confidence, or better performance in sports and life. It can also mean independence.

These are some of the real-life experiences from the 15 finalists of the Fitness First New You Achievement Awards (NYAA) 2011 held last July 28 at the Unilab Bayanihan Center in Mandaluyong. Categorized into Health, Shape, Sport, Strength, and Staff with an Overall winner coming from the category winners, the event recognizes—for the third year in the country and for nearly a decade globally—the health and fitness achievements of Fitness First members.

In keeping with the awards night’s Mardi Gras theme, which bids farewell to bad habits, finalists shared their life changes during the program hosted by fitness enthusiasts Steve Patrick and Gelli Victor.

Charm Valenzuela lost 95 lbs from 233 lbs within a year and nine months of working out at Fitness First Platinum Trinoma. “I am a doctor who, ironically, was a hypertensive smoker and an emotional eater. Gradually embracing exercise and eating right made me become a better version of the old me. I am an example of just how much people can actually surprise themselves if they only make the decision to take better care of themselves,” said the Overall winner and Shape category winner.

Gerry Dakoykoy, Strength category winner, said that he enrolled in Fitness First Cebu at age 71. “I had never worked out in my entire adult life but the desire to live longer and healthier pushed me to engage the services of a personal trainer who gave me the right program for my age. Now being able to keep up with much younger relatives and friends makes Fitness First my best investment,” said the retiree.

Sports category winner Alfred Delos Reyes finished 7th in the 2011 102K Bataan Death March, placed in the top 25 in 6 other ultramarathons, and 7th in a 42K marathon. “I ran the race of my life but it took a lifetime for me to actually believe I can. Finishing strong proves that an ordinary gym-goer like me can believe, train and work hard to achieve any goal I set. At 38, a training program gives me that advantage,” said the language teacher and Fitness First Alabang member.

Angelita Mercado had a stroke when she was 31. The possibility of a recurrence motivated her to enroll at Fitness First RCBC. “Regimen results of weight reduction, toned muscles, improved endurance, and positive disposition at 46 prove that I can take control of my life. I know that I am as physically capable as any regular 20 to 30 year old, and my family has also now made exercise and healthy eating a part of their life,” said the Health category winner.

Recognized under the Staff category was Abby Liquigan, club administrator of Fitness First RCBC for seven years now. “I wanted to stop feeling embarrassed by sometimes being mistaken for a man, shopping in the men’s section, and having to suffer a variety of medical conditions that include hormonal imbalance, polycystic ovaries, scoliosis, and apnea.” Most of all, Abby achieved her primary reason for enlisting the help of a trainer and nutritionist: she’s currently expecting a baby.

“The New You Achievement Awards is an annual celebration but in truth, everyday in our 18 Fitness First clubs in the Philippines, we celebrate the stories of our members; stories of overcoming personal challenges, emerging better versions of themselves, proving something to themselves and inspiring others.

Special awards were also given to Ederlyn Maneja and Donna Guanzo for the outstanding results they achieved under the Fitness First exclusive weight loss programs Lose Big and Lose it! respectively, both designed by Dave Nuku, The Biggest Loser Asia Blue Trainer and Fitness First’s Regional Fitness Manager.